BAJAUR: Work on a road project in Utmankhel tehsil of Bajaur tribal district has resumed after being suspended for one year.

The work on Fajigram-Bar Tras Road in Arang area was suspended after locals refused to give land for it.

“Work on the road resumed a couple of days ago after I assured the locals of building link roads in their areas,” provincial minister Anwarzeb Khan said in a statement.

The minister also belongs to Arang area.

According to the statement, the road, on completion, will connect thousands of residents of the hilly areas to rest of the district.

The statement said work on Naranj-Gargoo Road would also be launched in the first week of March.

UPLIFT SCHEMES: Special assistant to chief minister, Arif Ahmadzai on Friday said the provincial government would approve all new development schemes for the tribal districts in consultation with locals.

Speaking at a consultative meeting on the provincial government’s Accelerated Implementation Programme (AIP) in the tribal districts held in Nawagai town, Mr Ahmadzai said the schemes launched on recommendations of the community elders benefited people.

He said the government had decided to arrange consultative sessions across the merged districts to take the people on board before launching the development projects.

Deputy commissioner Iftikhar Alam and officials of the planning and works department were also in attendance.

The participants said the government’s decision to start consultative process on development was imperative to make the projects productive.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2022